Fire at Mann Gulch 21110349 PDF

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Case Study...

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Name: Aliyan Razzaq Roll no: 2021-11-0349 Instructor: Fahad Mehmood Section 1

Case Analysis Fire at Mann Gulch “It is hard to make common sense when each person sees something different”

Brief description: On August 5, 1949 a crew of 15 men parachuted into Mann Gulch to stop fire. These men were USFS (United States Forest Service) trained smokejumpers. Soon after their landing they realized that the fire is much more aggressive than they were anticipating. To save their lives they faced a frightening choice: either to follow their foreman (Dodge) or to race the fire to the top of the ridge. Tragedy happened and as a result 12 men died. Only 3 survived and left wondering where they had gone wrong.

What were the causes behind this tragedy? 1. 2. 3. 4.

Lack of communication between Dodge and inexperienced jumpers. They were all nearly strangers. Inappropriate decision making and unprofessional planning. Knowledge of Dodge and rest of the crew was at different level.

What mistakes did Dodge make as a leader? 1.

Dodge landed his crew on the place where emergency helicopter could not come to rescue injured men.

2.

Dodge didn’t spend much time with his crew and failed to understand that leadership is more than just technical competency.

3.

Dodge left Hellman in charge who was not familiar with constructing orders and had little experience in developing escape routes.

4.

Dodge failed to establish the trust and relationship with his crew which might have helped the crew that Dodge was setting the fire to clear an area to save their lives.

Lessons for business executives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

If you want your team to trust you then you should build credibility. Teach the team to be strategic and critical thinkers. Bad decision making will challenge your leadership and you need to be prepared for it. Over confidence can badly affect your judgement which may leads to worse situation. Crisis effect communication. Implementation of two-way communication is effective in building relationships. Always lead your team from the front.

8. 9.

Teach your team to be a strategic and critical thinker by using your experiences. Explain your decisions and be transparent so that you will get the support in difficult situations.

“If you have difficult decisions to make and insufficient time to explain them, a key to implementation may be loyal allies who are sure to execute them through thick or thin” Micheal Useem...